When Cedric, crowned prince of Caelum, and his fellow royal friends (including his betrothed, Kat) find themselves stranded in modern-day L.A. via a magical portal and an evil traitor named Malquin, all they want to do is get home to Caelum—soon. Then they meet Liv, a filmmaker foster girl who just wants to get out of the system and on with her life. As she and Cedric bond, they’ll discover that she’s more connected to his world than they ever could’ve imagined…and that finding home is no easy task…

I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

One thing you should know about me is that I am a hardcore contemporary girl, and as a hardcore contemporary girl, I don't usually read fantasy book. However, when the book is an urban fantasy, I am usually game. This is why I was super excited to read this book! Right from the start, I was really interested in the concept.

The Marked Girl is a really interesting book. People from another world called Caelum went through a portal escaping an enemy, only to land in LA. It's filled with both inner and outer conflicts, questionable motives and standing by each other. I also really enjoyed the romance in this book, even though it's just a teeny tiny portion of it.

However, I think that this book needs more polishing. Yes, the plot is interesting, but it needs something more to tie everything together in a nice bow. I'm also really curious about Caelum, and was disappointed that not much was mentioned about the world and how it works. Although I guess we'll learn about it in the next book. The story is also action-packed, but it still lacks this something to make it more enjoyable and unputdownable.

This book is really interesting, and I cannot wait to find out more about Caelum in book two! I don't think that this book is going to be for everyone, but for fantasy beginners, this will be an easy read. Overall, it's good but it lacks something to make it better.

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I am reading this one now and... I am kind of bored. I mean, it's weird, because like you said, I am VERY curious about Caelum, and I like Cedric but... what even is this!? I mean, I am at 51% and there is really no info, and everything I HAVE gotten has been kind of info dumpy. Ugh, I was hoping there'd be more info as the book went on, but I suppose not. But I think you are completely right that this is a great intro to fantasy for people who are hesitant. Like, I feel like had I read this a few years ago when I almost NEVER read fantasy, I probably would have liked it more AND not felt overwhelmed, which would have been good. But now it's more "meh" compared to all the other fantasies out there. Great review!

That's so accurate! This book focused more on Earth than on Caelum, although I think the next book will focus more on Caelum. I just started reading fantasy last year, so this one's not so bad for me. :)

Great review! I've been interested about this ever since I saw the trailer for it. It's too bad that it was missing that extra factor to make it a stand out novel. I still think I'll be reading this, but at least I now know what to expect!

While the premise sounds pretty good (albeit something we've read a thousand times before), it doesn't really entice me to pick it up. I'm glad you ended up really enjoying it though for a fantasy read!

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About Me

Hi, I'm Kim! I'm Chinese, though I was born and raised here in the Philippines. I've been reading books since I was in fourth grade and I've been blogging since December 2012. I love reading both YA novels, and my favorite genre is Contemporary. I rarely read dystopian, aside from my obvious favorite of course - Divergent. I used to not like Fantasy, but after reading Throne of Glass, I am a changed person. ;) I love meeting new people, so feel free to talk to me anytime via comments or Twitter! (@DivergentGryffi)

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